Saturday, July 3, 2010

Suspects in heroin bust likely illegal immigrants

[Rowan County, North Carolina]

Authorities say a group of Hispanics moved to Rowan County about three months ago to start and operate a black tar heroin business serving several counties.

The Rowan County Sheriff’s Office, working with several other agencies, busted the operation Thursday, seizing cash, guns, cocaine and black tar heroin.

Sheriff Kevin Auten said this is the first full-scale black tar heroin operation busted in the county. He noted that black tar heroin usage is on the rise.

Investigators believe the business was connected to suppliers in Atlanta, based on the four-hour time needed for arrival of the product.

Lt. Chad Moose, head of the Criminal Investigation Division, said the Sheriff’s Office began the investigation six weeks ago, after tips from the public.

Heavy traffic at the newly opened business apparently also raised questions.

Auten said Friday that federal immigration officials have placed detain orders on the five Hispanics arrested. They are all believed to be illegal immigrants. A sixth person arrested, Meredith Kristin Simmons, was identified as the girlfriend of one of the men. When officers stopped Simmons and an infant passenger in a vehicle near Porky’s in China Grove, they found drugs. The Rowan County Department of Social Services was called...

[Full Article]
Poll: Ohio voters lean toward Arizona immigration law (Hamilton, Ohio - June 30, 2010)

HAMILTON — More Ohio voters support this state passing an immigration law similar to Arizona’s new law than oppose it, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday, June 29.

The poll found 45 percent of respondents want Ohio to pass a law similar to Arizona’s new law, compared to 35 percent who do not. Another 20 percent are on the fence, according to the poll results...

[Full Article]
Rightward Drift On Immigration Continues

Quinnipiac has a poll out of swing-state Ohio today that should make for some interesting discussion for President Obama when he meets with the Hispanic Caucus this afternoon.

The survey finds deep support for the Arizona immigration law that has so angered many in the Hispanic community and even deeper opposition to attempts to move towards integrating illegal immigrants into American society.

From the release:

Ohio voters approve 48 - 28 percent of Arizona’s immigration law. They say 72 - 22 percent that immigration reform should move in the direction of stricter enforcement rather than integrating illegal immigrants into American society. The new law will not lead to discrimination against Hispanics, voters say 43 - 40 percent. And by an overwhelming 79 - 10 percent they think an economic boycott of Arizona is a bad idea.

“Ohio voters like the Arizona approach to illegal immigration so much they would like to see a similar law passed by the State Legislature,” said Quinnipiac’s Peter Brown said...

[Full Article]

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

Restaurateur Sentenced On Illegal-Immigrant Charges (Toledo, Ohio - June 29, 2010)

Norwalk man owned Mexican eatery in Oregon

Ramon J. Ornelas had succeeded in life in the United States by creating a string of Mexican restaurants in northern Ohio and availing himself of the opportunities of his new country, a federal court judge said yesterday.

But his employment of dozens of illegal immigrants and his failure to pay taxes on their incomes required a prison term to serve as both punishment and a deterrent.

Ornelas, 43, of Norwalk, Ohio, was sentenced Monday in U.S. District Court in Toledo to one year and one day in prison. He pleaded guilty in February to eight counts of harboring and concealing illegal aliens, three counts of mail fraud, and seven counts of subscribing to a false tax return.

Judge Jack Zouhary sentenced him to one year for each count but ordered that they be served concurrently.

Immigration officials said Ornelas, who had legal permanent resident status, will face a deportation judge after he serves his sentence.

"You pulled yourself up here in America, the land of opportunity, and opened a chain of restaurants. I take that into consideration," Judge Zouhary said. "There is a seriousness to this crime. The government has taken a position on illegal immigration … and my sentence must promote respect for the law."

Federal charges were filed against Ornelas in January. Authorities said search warrants were executed at eight of Ornelas' restaurants in Ohio, which resulted in 58 undocumented Mexican nationals being taken into custody. Ornelas is the principal owner of Casa Fiesta Mexican restaurants in Oregon, Sandusky, Youngstown, Vermilion, Ashland, Norwalk, Fremont, and Oberlin.

In addition to the concealing charges, Ornelas pleaded guilty to filing false federal tax records for not claiming the undocumented workers and therefore underreporting the taxes owed to the Internal Revenue Service. According to Assistant U.S. Attorney David Bauer, the amount owed the federal government was $178,000 over a period of three years.

The mail fraud convictions were the result of filing false Ohio Contribution Reports by underpaying $11,124 in taxes due the state for unemployment insurance for those workers he did not report.

Mr. Bauer noted that Ornelas benefited economically from the hiring of undocumented workers and asked the judge to send a message to employers that immigration laws exist and will be enforced.

As part of his sentence, the judge also ordered the forfeiture of $62,546 taken from eight of his restaurants during execution of the July, 2008, search warrant and a Vermilion home he owned where several undocumented workers lived...

[Full Article]
Philadelphia To Bar Immigration Agents From Arrest Data

Philadelphia is expected to end the arrangement that permits federal immigration agents to scrutinize the city's computerized list of arrests, including country of origin and other data, Everett Gillison, the deputy mayor for public safety, said Sunday.

Immigrant advocates say the year-old agreement between the city and the Immigration and Customs Enforcement service, known as ICE, has resulted in deportation proceedings against immigrants arrested on even minor charges. Under the agreement, ICE agents can routinely access the city's Preliminary Arraignment Reporting System (PARS). That agreement is up for renewal on Thursday.

"It is the mayor's view that the PARS agreement should not be extended," Gillison said, speaking at a South Philadelphia church meeting attended by more than 300 immigrants and their supporters...

[Full Article]
Rep. Stark Mocks Border Security Advocates: Who Are You Going to Kill Today?

A California congressman known for edgy sarcasm mocked an opponent of illegal immigration during a town hall meeting last week, asking, "Who are you going to kill today?" before the constituent, a self-identified Minuteman, posed his question.

Rep. Pete Stark, D-Calif., no stranger to controversy, mocked the idea that the borders are not secure when asked about the federal government's lack of activity on border security.

"We can't get enough Minutemen armed. We'd like to get all the Minutemen armed so they can stop shooting people here," Stark said.

Eventually, members of the audience urged Stark to offer a serious answer.

"If you knew anything about our borders, you would know that's not the case. Our borders are quite secure, thank you," Stark said, drawing jeers.

Stark resumed his hostile act, asking the Minuteman what he would do to secure the border.

"I would send about about 25,000 troops for one thing and build a wall down so vehicles could not pass," the Minuteman said.

"How high and long would it be?" Stark asked.

"As high and as long as it takes," the Minuteman said, elicting cheers.

Stark said he would start a ladder company with the Minuteman if he designed the wall and doesn't shoot the people coming over.

"But I've got to know how high the wall is and I'll sell a whole lot of ladders for people who want to come," Stark said.

"This is a very serious matter and you're sitting there making fun of it," the Minuteman responded.

"I don't have to make fun of you sir, you do a fine job all by yourself," Stark said.

Stark made the comments last week at a town hall audience that included Steve Kemp, a member of the Golden Gate Minutemen, a group that opposes illegal immigrants. Kemp recorded the confrontation.

A spokesman for Stark did not return voicemail messages left at his office or on his cell phone. He also didn't respond to an e-mail seeking comment...

[Full Article]

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Contact Congressman Stark to let him know what you think of his comments...

Congressman Stark (D) California
Washington, DC Phone 202-225-5065
Fax 202-226-3805
California Phone 510-494-1388
Fax 510-494-5852
E-mail rpete_stark@hotmail.com
https://forms.house.gov/stark/webforms/contact.htm

Congressman Pete Stark Arrogantly Mocks Border Security Issues

THE BORDERS ARE QUITE SECURE. Congressman Pete Stark's Town hall meeting in Fremont CA



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5qVpMwqv7QM

cvminutemen | June 29, 2010 | 9:46

Here's the video from Congressman Pete Stark's Town Hall meeting last Saturday (June 26, 2010).

I used the border segment only (YouTube has a ten minute limit), the rest of the meeting was pretty tame anyway.

He made some pretty dumb comments as he mocked me including "the borders are quite secure", but it backfired on him.

Stark seemed medicated to me, had swollen ankles and could only sit on the edge of his chair for over an hour and a half. He's well past doing an effective job, but in my opinion, that's probably best for America anyway.

Steve Kemp www.GoldenGateMinutemen.org & www.BayAreaPatriots.com

Obama, Activists To Push On Immigration Reform

WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama is enlisting activists and labor leaders in a push for comprehensive immigration legislation that will showcase Republican opposition and include a speech by the president.

The strategy was discussed during a meeting Monday by a range of prominent labor leaders and activist groups. Participants said Obama reiterated his support for immigration legislation but noted the political realities that have stalled it in Congress.

Latino leaders say they will work in coming months to pressure Republicans to give way and support an immigration bill - and make opponents pay at the ballot box if they don't.

"We're going to make absolutely crystal clear who's at fault here," said Eliseo Medina, a leader of the Service Employees International Union...

[Full Article]

Monday, June 28, 2010

Napolitano: 'You're Never Going To Totally Seal That Border'



Washington (CNSNews.com) – Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, whose agency is charged with securing America’s borders, told an audience in Washington, D.C., in reference to the U.S.-Mexico border, “You’re never going to totally seal that border.”

Napolitano spoke and answered questions at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on “Securing the Border: A Smarter Law Enforcement Approach,” on Wednesday.

When asked if she could give a timeline on when the border would be secured, Napolitano said, “The plain fact of the matter is the border is as secure now as it has ever been, but we know we can always do more. And that will always be the case.

“It’s a big border,” she said. “It’s 1,960 miles across that Southwest border. It’s some of the roughest, toughest geographical terrain in the world across that border. And so, the notion that you’re going to seal that border somehow is something that anybody who’s been involved in the actual doing of law enforcement--the front office work or the front line work of the law enforcement--would say, ‘You’re never going to totally seal that border.’”



[Full Article]
11 Arrested In Raid On Restaurant (Columbus Dispatch - June 25, 2010)

New Albany police raided a Mexican restaurant last night, arresting its assistant manager on drug charges and 10 other employees on drug or immigration charges.

Police say the bust came after an officer worked undercover as an employee of the restaurant.

Police officers descended on the Don Patron Mexican Restaurant, 9475 Johnstown Rd., at 8:30 p.m.

Four employees were arrested on drug-related charges. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents detained six other employees, saying they were illegal immigrants...

[Full Article]

Napolitano: Obama Wants Immigration Overhaul

DENVER - Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano blamed a "bitterly divided Congress" for failing to create an immigration bill but assured Hispanic political leaders on Thursday that the president remains committed to overhauling the nation's immigration laws.

"Make no mistake about it. President Obama and the administration are committed to comprehensive immigration reform," Napolitano said to cheers and applause of participants at the annual conference of the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials, a nonpartisan group that represents more than 6,000 political leaders. "But I think we can all recognize, and you as elected officials can recognize particularly, that some reform takes time."...

Immigration Reform Bill Gaining Support In The House

“We have reached the milestone,” said Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) on Thursday. At a press conference surrounded by immigrants and other representatives, Gutierrez announced that the Comprehensive Immigration Reform for America's Security and Prosperity (CIR ASAP) bill he introduced has surpassed 100 co-sponsors in the House of Representatives.

“The legislative clock is ticking,” stressed Gutierrez. “We know people are getting deported at the highest rate in modern history.”

Guttierez said the need for Congress to pass his plan is critical, especially with only one month to go before many provisions within the recently signed Arizona immigration law start to take effect. He called the Arizona law a call to action, and said a pragmatic solution must be found for what he referred to as a “broken system.” The Illinois Democrat added that he wants something passed before Congress recesses in August...

[Full Article]
Immigration Debate Complicates Law Enforcement

CHICAGO -- As they rode through immigrant neighborhoods of Lake County, Illinois, serving arrest warrants, Sheriff's Deputy John Van Dien and three fellow officers were repeatedly confronted by a public relations problem nagging local law enforcement agencies nationwide.

They weren't hunting for illegal immigrants, but at nearly every stop, local residents seemed to think they were.

In Mundelein, neighbors watched the burly officers take a handcuffed Mexican immigrant away from his startled children in a scene that resembled thousands of family separations caused by immigration raids. But this was the case of a legal U.S. resident who had skipped court on drunken driving charges...

[Full Article]

Sunday, June 27, 2010

Obama Administration Poised To Challenge Arizona Immigration Law

The White House is expected to file a lawsuit next week. Arizona has raised more than $120,000 in private donations to defend the legislation.


A White House showdown with the state of Arizona over its tough new immigration law is likely to unfold next week, when the Obama administration is expected to file a lawsuit aimed at blocking the state's bid to curb illegal immigration on its own, according to people familiar with the administration's plans.

Arizona officials are girding for the legal challenge. The state has raised $123,000 in private donations to defend the law, according to Gov. Jan Brewer's office. Money has come in from all 50 states, in donations as little as $1.

Obama administration officials declined to reveal the basis for the suit. But legal experts say the challenge is likely to include the argument that in passing the law, Arizona violated the Constitution by intruding on the federal government's authority to regulate immigration...

[Full Article]
Teen Shot By Border Patrol Had Smuggling Arrests

EL PASO, Texas (AP) - A 15-year-old Mexican boy shot and killed by a U.S. Border Patrol agent was among El Paso's most wanted juvenile immigrant smugglers, according to federal arrest records reviewed by The Associated Press.

The records show Sergio Adrian Hernandez Huereca had been arrested at least four times since 2008 and twice in the same week in February 2009 on suspicion of smuggling illegal immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border. Hernandez was repeatedly arrested along the U.S. side of the border near downtown El Paso, not far from where he was killed, but was never charged with a crime by federal prosecutors.

A Border Patrol agent shot and killed Hernandez June 7 while trying to arrest illegal immigrants crossing the muddy bed of the Rio Grande. Some witnesses said a group of people on the Mexican side were throwing rocks at the agents. Agents are generally permitted to use lethal force against rock throwers.

The records show that in at least one case Hernandez was to be paid $50 a person for smuggling four people into the U.S....

[Full Article]

Arizona Governor: Most Illegal Immigrants Smuggling Drugs

PHOENIX (AP) - Gov. Jan Brewer said Friday that most illegal immigrants entering Arizona are being used to transport drugs across the border, an assertion that critics slammed as exaggerated and racist.

Brewer said the motivation of "a lot" of the illegal immigrants is to enter the United States to look for work, but that drug rings press them into duty as drug "mules."

"I believe today, under the circumstances that we're facing, that the majority of the illegal trespassers that are coming into the state of Arizona are under the direction and control of organized drug cartels and they are bringing drugs in," Brewer said.

"There's strong information to us that they come as illegal people wanting to come to work. Then they are accosted and they become subjects of the drug cartel," she said.

Brewer's office later issued a statement in response to media reports of her comments. It said most human smuggling into Arizona is under the direction of drug cartels, which "are by definition smuggling drugs."...

[Full Article]



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzDlN7VLmXQ

SecureTheBorderAZ | June 25, 2010 | 1:00

Earlier this month, Governor Jan Brewer sat in the Oval Office with President Barack Obama to discuss the critical issue of border security. The Governor personally related to the President the concerns of millions of Arizonans over the lack of security on Arizona's southern border. During their visit, President Obama committed to present details, within two weeks of their meeting, regarding his plans to commit National Guard troops to the Arizona border and commit to spend $500 million in additional funds on border security.

Governor Brewer remains eager to receive the specific details of President Obama's border security plans. She continues to extend an invitation to the President to visit with families living along the southwestern border and see the situation firsthand.